Peabody Institute gets a Georgetown makeover for 'House of Cards' next week

"House of Cards" is coming to another major Baltimore institution, Mount Vernon's Peabody Institute, where the producers are expected to film one of the biggest scenes in the first 13 episodes of the series.

The $100 million Netflix production, which stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, will be at the Peabody starting Tuesday, according to Richard Selden, director of marketing and communication for the institute.

The big scene is scheduled to be filmed Wednesday night with part of East Centre Street closed to traffic.

Such scheduling is, of course, subject to change.

The scene involves the characters played by Spacey and Wright exiting a Georgetown Hotel where they encounter protesters.

As to how a night-time protest might play on campus, Selden wrote in an email, "Peabody is pretty quiet during the summer, but there will be 15 young bassoonists in the dorm for Bassoon Week and 50 seniors staying in the Peabody Inn on campus for an Elderhostel-type Piano Camp. The seniors will be given eye masks and earplugs so they can Sleep like a Movie Star."

Selden said crew members have been on campus all week transforming parts of the Peabody into the Georgetown hotel lobby and plaza location it will play in the series.

"We were surprised by their interest at first, but it turns out parts of the campus are tailor-made for what they needed," Selden said in a telephone interview. "And we've enjoyed having them."

According to Selden Joel Schumacher will be directing the episode. The first two episodes were directed by executive producer David Fincher.